Community of Poets: Mary Oliver Day | Rebecca Speer & John Foos

Iona Poetry Community Field Trip

Writing Together as a Celebration of Mary Oliver

The poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” And surely that is true for her many readers who have been inspired by her close observation of nature and her living relationship with the woods, ponds, marshes, birds and wildlife where she lived on Cape Cod.

To celebrate her, the Iona Poetry Community sponsored its first Mary Oliver Day this year on February 14 by taking a field trip to the San Elijo Lagoon, close to our home in North County San Diego, California.

We began the day by reading a number of favorite poems by the author at our home, then making our way to the San Elijo Lagoon on the Pacific coastline, where we walked, observed, and wrote for the next couple of hours. On return home, we joined together to hear what each had written. It was an inspirational day in which we looked to deepen our own relationships in poetry to life and the waters of the lagoon. A sense of peace and calm was evidenced in the writings and happiness of participants.

Formed many years ago in North County San Diego, the Iona Poetry Community was inspired by John Fox and The Institute for Poetic Medicine. John Fox has poured his soul into our community by showing up for workshops on a yearly basis. 

The Iona Poetry Community was named after the small island of Iona located at the tip of northern Scotland. In ancient times many kings and queens were buried on the island. Hundreds of sheep continue to roam this island in the greenest of green landscapes.

The island is known as a “thin” spot to the Scots where the worlds of spirit and matter overlap. In our poetry community in San Diego, we seek to create a “thin spot,” gathering together to write each month as a way to build a bridge between the known and the unknown. 

Our first Mary Oliver Day offered an adventure spent with water, birds, jumping fish and laughing children. The poems that showed up and the heartfelt tenderness of the day became a living memory that we will all carry for many months to come. Living in a “thin spot” is a challenge, but with Mary Oliver and John Fox, we have been able to begin the journey.

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We encourage all active poetry groups to consider holding a Mary Oliver Day. The simple itinerary is as follows:

1. Read a few of Mary Oliver's poems

2. Go to a natural place

3. Write in nature

4. Return to home base

5. Share what you wrote

6. Read a few more Mary Oliver poems.

It’s about a half-day retreat with a lot of potluck snacks when we get back to the house. The idea is simple and light-hearted, but it carries a serious message for a world that is increasingly disconnected from nature and each other.

If your group is interested in learning more, please feel free to contact us to talk about the event. We imagine the possibility of a National Mary Oliver Poetry Day in the future towards the world we want to build.

John Foos & Rebecca Speer

Iona Poetry Community